When Schools Flourish and Improvement Succeeds: The Importance of a Positive Team-Based Organizational Climate

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: Transforming Schools Through Community-Driven Organizational Thinking

Abstract

A strong body of empirical evidence in the education, organizational psychology and management literature suggests that school improvement can only be achieved when school leaders harness the energy and enthusiasm of staff and all parts of the school flourish. This requires school leaders to use ‘bottom-up’, rather than ‘top-down’, strategies to engage staff and co-construct school improvement. Longitudinal data obtained from 63,872 staff and 319,474 students in 1,902 Australian catholic and government schools supports this view. In particular, the results of this study provide strong empirical support for the notion that staff working in a supportive and empowering professional learning environment are more likely to achieve improvements in the quality of teaching, student wellbeing, and parent engagement.

Authors

• Peter Hart, Deakin University

• Clare Elizabeth Scollay, Insight SRC

• Jenny Lewis, Forever Learn